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12 August 2016

001. On Saturday I worked a 7 hour shift, raced home, packed up the car and drove out of town for a night camping in the outback with Ben. We headed off to a super beautiful rock formation called Rainbow Valley, that is about 85km out of Alice Springs. There is no power, running water or phone reception, but the fire pits and incredible landscape make up for it. We cooked veggie burgers on the fire, ventured out into the darkness to take photos of the stars, slept in the back of the car and had fun running around in the red sand. The night sky and stars out here are something really magical. If you have never truly been far away from major cities, you may have not yet experienced a full star gazing experience. We spotted at least 3 shooting stars within 10 minutes- magic! The centre of Australia truly is something special. I’ve said it before on my blog but I just have to say it again! I hope you enjoy these photos of our little overnight escape- they are all totally unedited…Partly because I have no photo editing software at the moment, and also because I feel like these photos showcase the raw and natural beauty of the outback. I feel so incredibly luckily to live in such a beautiful and diverse country, Australia really is a special place.

7 August 2016

001. Hello friends, I'm here today to tell you about a few little beauty secrets of mine that are completely cruelty free AND budget friendly. So no more excuses- you can look after yourself with a beauty routine that isn't harming any other creatures or your wallet!

002. I'm going to start with the basics- teeth. Each year in Australia alone over 1000 tonnes of plastic toothbrushes end up in landfill! If you care at least little about the earth, it's time to make the switch to a bamboo toothbrush. They are eco-friendly, last up to 3 months (without going all gross, I swear!) and only cost a few dollars. The one I am currently using cost me $3, and I picked it up a health food store (most will sell at least one brand of bamboo toothbrushes). Along with my bamboo toothbrush I have switched to a more natural toothpaste. This toothpaste by Grants is Australian owned, does NOT test on animals and doesn't contain any nasties such as SLS, fluoride or parabens. You can pick it up at Coles or Woolworths for about $3.29- basically the same price as the cruelty inflicted, and terribly unnatural Collgate option.

003. As far as hair care goes I'm a basic shampoo and conditioner gal, so Nature's Organics- Organic Care range works for me perfectly. Again its totally cruelty free, grey water safe, no nasties (SLES, SLS, ALES, ALS) and is only $3.50 a pop (but they seem to be on special all the time at big supermarkets, so it's usually even cheaper). Body wash wise if you have never used Original Source body washes before you are missing out! I wouldn't say they are the most budget friendly body wash option, but they ALL smell INCREDIBLE (plus vegan/cruelty free), and that alone is the only selling point I need. My favourite is the vanilla and raspberry, but go wild and stock up on new flavours when they are on sale at your local supermarket- you will not be disappointed. For a quick all over body moisturiser, you can't go past this huge 1 litre bottle from Australian Pure Beauty, which I picked up at a supermarket so long ago I can't remember the price- but I do know that it was definitely affordable and that it lasts forever. Or if you're not in a hurry a jar of coconut oil also makes a great moisturiser, just takes a little longer to sink in!

004. Something I don't want to skimp out on is skincare, but I definitely am not the type of person to drop $30 on a fancy face wash. I adore the Sukin skincare range, so far I have only used a couple of the products but I am definitely keen to try out more. Every product is extremely affordable (around $10-12 for a face wash), carbon neutral, no nasty chemicals and totally cruelty free. You can find their products stocked at Priceline (which regularly has 40% off sales if you are wanting to stock up), a range of other pharmacies or their website. I also ADORE Lush skincare products but I usually only buy them on a special occasion, because they aren't super cheap and not really accessible where I currently live. HOWEVER I couldn't talk about skincare without including their "Let the Good Times Roll" face scrub- this thing smells like a caramel-ly heaven- if you can only buy one thing from Lush this should be it. To top this long skincare rant off, I just wanted to add that I love to use the little facial scrubbing brush from the Body Shop, with my cleanser for a more thorough wash/exfoliation. It's so handy to travel with and you don't have to charge it or anything like the bulkier facial scrubbing brushes that you see promoted all over Instagram or Youtube every day.

005. I hope this post was helpful if you are looking into buying cruelty free beauty products or simply just wanted to hear about some budget friendly options. I'm sorry it might be a bit too lengthy, but I just had too much cruelty free beauty love to share! Also, I'm still working on artwork to accompany my posts, I just invested in a pen for my tablet but my photoshop trial also just expired (again) so my graphics are a mess. Fingers crossed I can put on my technology pants and get that sorted ASAP.